Some 50 Model T Fords have been plying the roads around Waterville the past couple of days as the Down East chapter of the Model T Ford Club of America holds its Mainely T Tour for the 33rd time on the weekend after Labor Day, according to organizers.
Model T owners from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut have gathered with others from as far away as Alabama and Louisiana to take part in the tour, according to local organizer Jackie Reny.
On Thursday the vintage car owners drove to Solon to visit the South Solon Meeting House. Friday found the owners parking their rides at Gifford’s Ice Cream in Waterville and eating ice cream and playing mini-golf. Saturday they will motor down to the Maine State Museum in Augusta, where they will constitute a rolling exhibit.
Later Saturday the caravan will head for Fieldstone Gardens in Vassalboro, where the drivers will see hardy perennials of a different make. The final stop is the First Congregational Church at the corner of Eustis Parkway and Main Street in Waterville for a banquet.
Model T’s were built from 1909 to 1927. The car’s top speed is about 35 to 40 mph, but running them too hard for too long at that speed might not be wise, advises Peter Reny, although he could fix them. He runs the Antique and Classic Fords shop in Vassalboro.
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